HOLLYWOOD – The warring sides in the 3-month-old writers strike are expected to put the finishing touches today on a deal that could bring an end to the walkout as early as Monday, according to a published report.

The major studios and the Writers Guild of America are expected to finalize a three-year contract that guild leaders plan to present to thousands of writers in Los Angeles and New York tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The guild board could approve the contract Sunday and encourage writers to return to work the next day, people close to the negotiations told The Times.

Studio executives and TV producers have been preparing for that day for the last two weeks, hoping to salvage the remainder of the television season by quickly revving up production to bring back some popular TV shows languishing in repeats or already off the air, according to the newspaper.

Movies that were derailed by the strike also could lurch back, including high-profile projects such as Columbia Pictures’ “Da Vinci Code” prequel, The Times reported.

Films have long lead times. Last summer, studio executives accelerated development and production schedules in anticipation of a strike. As a result, the movie industry was not as hard hit by the Nov. 5 work stoppage as broadcast TV.

Production shut down in December and January after the supply of TV scripts had been depleted. That compromised the season, which officially ends May 21, The Times reported.

It will take four to six weeks and tens of millions of dollars to ramp up TV production in dozens of soundstages in Los Angeles, Burbank and New York, and not every prime-time series will immediately return to the air, according to the newspaper.

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